Leon 2003 1.6 Service and Cambelt

[Mus]

Hi all,

I've only just hit 30K miles after 12 years and my local NW London garage wants £600 for a service and cam change on top of a recent £400 MOT bill for brake pads and discs etc.

I know it would be wise to get this done but can I do better on price somewhere else?

Thanks!
M

 

[SlimsLCR]

Shop around, and try to go outside London if possible! Bit steep for a cambelt change and service, lots of little independant guys out there will do it for a lot less, try to source the parts yourself too, this will reduce your costs! Change water pump too, it will give up eventually and you will need to remove the cam belt again to replace it. Your lucky you got away with 12 years without changing it, its recommended you change it every 50-60,000 miles or 5 years, whichever comes first!

 

[Mus]

Shop around, and try to go outside London if possible! Bit steep for a cambelt change and service, lots of little independant guys out there will do it for a lot less, try to source the parts yourself too, this will reduce your costs! Change water pump too, it will give up eventually and you will need to remove the cam belt again to replace it. Your lucky you got away with 12 years without changing it, its recommended you change it every 50-60,000 miles or 5 years, whichever comes first!

OK, thank you for the advice.

I've been with the same independent garage for 25 years. Strange that they never recommended a cam belt change before.

Cheers
M

 

[SlimsLCR]

Its a shame to look elsewhere after so many years with the same garage, but loyalty v money loyalty goes out the window! maybe because the car has very little miles on the clock was the reason they never said anything about the cam belt, but even with very little miles its worth remembering a cam belt is made using very strong but perishable materials, they can and will still break eventually over time. Dont forget a water pump, its not an expensive part so its worth doing now. Maybe you could tell them you got a cheaper quote elsewhere and see if they will match it!

 

[Mus]

Its a shame to look elsewhere after so many years with the same garage, but loyalty v money loyalty goes out the window! maybe because the car has very little miles on the clock was the reason they never said anything about the cam belt, but even with very little miles its worth remembering a cam belt is made using very strong but perishable materials, they can and will still break eventually over time. Dont forget a water pump, its not an expensive part so its worth doing now. Maybe you could tell them you got a cheaper quote elsewhere and see if they will match it!

Thanks. Yes indeed, a few things to weigh up.

They are one of a couple of garages that are highly recommended in the area, so I wouldn't ditch them lightly.

I won't forget the water pump

Cheers
M

 

[Mus]

Just been quoted at a different garage £80 plus parts for service and £150 plus parts for the cam belt (they weren't sure if the water pump was driven by the cam but it would be replaced if necessary).

Any ideas what sort of prices the cam belt and water pump should come in at?

Service parts are variable I guess.

Thanks!

 

[SlimsLCR]

I got a belt kit and water pump for my lcr for £130 all in, obviously if you buy genuine seat parts it will probably be more. Ive owned quite a few different cars over the years and all the water pumps were cam belt driven, im pretty sure yours will be too.

 

[SlimsLCR]

Sorry I didnt really answer your question there, a belt kit and pump should be around 60-70quid for non genuine parts. Check ebay, make sure to ask the seller if the parts are correct for your car first, saves any hassle!

 

[Mus]

OK thanks...I was budgetting about £130 for Cam and Pump plus maybe £100 on parts for the service, in which case could end up less then £500 instead of £600.

The garage comes recommended too but will take two days instead of one. Will sleep on it

 

[SlimsLCR]

If your getting a full service id imagine for your car 60-70quid will get all you need, including a gallon of oil! It shouldn't take much longer than 5 hours to do the service and change the belts, I done mine in 3 hours with a little help from my brother. My geuss would be 400-450 all in labour and all! (if you get your own parts)Let us know how you get on!

 

[L16YDW]

I've just prices up all the needed parts for the service and cambelt etc on eurocarparts site and totals up at £188. Would be cheaper if you ask at the counter! That's for premium brands, Shell oil etc.

Pity your not Norfolk way I could have helped you out as a mechanic.

The labour costs quoted aren't to bad to be honest, that's roughly 2hrs for service and 2.5-3hrs for the belt.

 

[Mus]

If your getting a full service id imagine for your car 60-70quid will get all you need, including a gallon of oil! It shouldn't take much longer than 5 hours to do the service and change the belts, I done mine in 3 hours with a little help from my brother. My geuss would be 400-450 all in labour and all! (if you get your own parts)Let us know how you get on!

Will do! Barring any surprises that sounds about right and I'll be glad to save £150.

 

[Mus]

I've just prices up all the needed parts for the service and cambelt etc on eurocarparts site and totals up at £188. Would be cheaper if you ask at the counter! That's for premium brands, Shell oil etc.

Pity your not Norfolk way I could have helped you out as a mechanic.

The labour costs quoted aren't to bad to be honest, that's roughly 2hrs for service and 2.5-3hrs for the belt.

Thanks, didn't sound too bad to me either. What items are in a 'standard' service?

The mechanic said something about using synthetic oil and it being better but more expensive...?

Cheers
M

 

[mty12345]

Thanks, didn't sound too bad to me either. What items are in a 'standard' service?

The mechanic said something about using synthetic oil and it being better but more expensive...?

Cheers
M

It depends on the garage and the level of service, but it usually includes oil,oil filter, spark plugs, air filter, pollen filter and maybe aux belt (fan-belt to some people) too

Yeah fully synthetic oil is the best you can get. It's less important on your car, but essential on any turbo car as the high temps in the turbo will quickly cook any cheaper types of oil.

That said, even on a non-turbo, i would still go fully synthetic as i like to look after my motors whatever the cost. You can get crap supermarket oil for £15 where as for a good fully synth your probably looking at £50 for 4 or 5 litres, give or take a tenner. A garage will probably pay a lot less though as they usually buy it in bulk.

 

[747_727]

£600 seems expensive. I paid £300 for just the cambelt and water pump on my LCR. An extra £300 for a service seems very high.

 

[Mus]

£600 seems expensive. I paid £300 for just the cambelt and water pump on my LCR. An extra £300 for a service seems very high.

Exactly.

 

[Mus]

It depends on the garage and the level of service, but it usually includes oil,oil filter, spark plugs, air filter, pollen filter and maybe aux belt (fan-belt to some people) too

Yeah fully synthetic oil is the best you can get. It's less important on your car, but essential on any turbo car as the high temps in the turbo will quickly cook any cheaper types of oil.

That said, even on a non-turbo, i would still go fully synthetic as i like to look after my motors whatever the cost. You can get crap supermarket oil for £15 where as for a good fully synth your probably looking at £50 for 4 or 5 litres, give or take a tenner. A garage will probably pay a lot less though as they usually buy it in bulk.

OK fair enough. Thanks

 

[Mus]

So, the cam belt kit and water pump is apparently £180, even though the supplier he uses told me £130.

Haven't got the final bill yet, so we'll see.

The previous garage had old and mismatched spark plugs and the oil was completely black after supposedly being changed 2000 miles ago.

Perhaps the service parts are going to come to just over £100 including plugs instead of £80.

Sigh

 

[L16YDW]

That's regular Joe's prices, garage will pay less.

Those prices are for all quality parts and includes the expensive Platinum spark plugs. Take £25 off if yours has standard plugs.

 

[SlimsLCR]

Your paying way too much, that's almost £300 without labour and no doubt vat added on! You should have sourced and bought the parts yourself mate. Hopefully they wont go mad with labour costs. Fingers crossed!